Evert and I continue to work our way through the Russian expansion's scenarios. Evert gets to be French first, but I start this one as the Russians.
Exchanges of musket fire on the left {for simplicity I'll use left and right as they are in the pictures rather than from each army's point of view} were followed by French Line infantry storming onto the hill left of centre and destroying the Russian Line under General Sacken that was holding it. The General retired to the unit just behind. {Evert gets lucky with the dice and the score is 0:1 in his favour.}
This provoked a wholesale advance by the Russian infantry on the left, Gen Tutchkov's men occupying part of Eylau town and Gen Sacken's new troops forcing back the infantry that did for his first command. (A "Force March" card got me into the fight.}
Napoleon responded by taking command of Line infantry and marching into the thick of the Russian force, while the French Cuirassiers swung round Eylau to put a Russian unit into square.
Fired on from three sides, the infantry under Napoleon melted away, the Emperor himself beating a hasty retreat. {It would be so cool to kill Napoleon, but that just takes the score to 1:1.}
Napoleon joined up with the Old Guard whose muskets finished off one of the Russian infantry as the French Cuirassiers moved onto the hill left of centre, forcing Gen Sacken and his men into square and making them an easy target for the approaching infantry. {1:2, but the Russians have a banner for the piece of Eylau they hold, so 2:2.}
Throwing caution to the winds, Russian Light cavalry takes on the opposing Cuirassiers centre left while the Russian cavalry on the right, led by General Tolstoi, mixes it with the French infantry in and around the woods, one unit forming square. {A not very useful "Cavalry Charge" from me.}
The French counter-attack on the left sees the Old Guard destroy the Russian Line infantry in Eylau, Gen Tutchkov falling with his men. French Line finish off Gen Sacken's men, but he makes his getaway to link up with some grenadiers. {1:5 as I lose the banner for Eylau and it's not looking good.}
That victorious French Line goes into square as the Russian Light cavalry take an interest in them, while the advancing Russian Cuirassiers on the right force another square to form. {That's three French units in square and one Russian - I think it's a record!}
From the security of the town, the Old Guard and Napoleon finish off the Russian square. {1:6}
Then the Old Guard move out of Eylau to see off the last forward Russian unit on the left and the Russian Light infantry promptly takes refuge in the windmill behind them.
The cavalry skirmish on the left has moved into the centre where the French Cuirassiers are finished off by the Russian Lights who fall to advancing French Line infantry who are then removed by the Russian Grenadiers under Gen Sacken. {3:7}
Those Grenadiers promptly form square as both other French cavalry in the centre attacks them. And Gen Sacken falls as the French artillery opens up on the square. {3:8 and again there are one Russian in square and three French!}
Action on the right sees Russian Light cavalry and Cossacks combining to eliminate a French Line unit while Gen Tolstoi's Cuirassiers clear some French Light cavalry. {5:8}
But the Cuirassiers have suffered casualties and are taken apart by their French counterparts to end Russian hopes. {5:9 and that's a wrap!}
Phew! The Russians did their best, but even cutting Evert's hand down to three cards didn't stop him! Losing two Generals didn't help. Mind you, the stats show that this is overwhelmingly a French win (78% of the time). So maybe I can do better as the French... we'll see.
Pevans